1
|
Zhang Y, Kong D, Shi Y, Cai M, Yu Q, Li S, Wang K, Liu C. Recent progress on underwater soft robots: adhesion, grabbing, actuating, and sensing. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1196922. [PMID: 37614630 PMCID: PMC10442648 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1196922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The research on biomimetic robots, especially soft robots with flexible materials as the main structure, is constantly being explored. It integrates multi-disciplinary content, such as bionics, material science, mechatronics engineering, and control theory, and belongs to the cross-disciplinary field related to mechanical bionics and biological manufacturing. With the continuous development of various related disciplines, this area has become a hot research field. Particularly with the development of practical technologies such as 3D printing technology, shape memory alloy, piezoelectric materials, and hydrogels at the present stage, the functions and forms of soft robots are constantly being further developed, and a variety of new soft robots keep emerging. Soft robots, combined with their own materials or structural characteristics of large deformation, have almost unlimited degrees of freedom (DoF) compared with rigid robots, which also provide a more reliable structural basis for soft robots to adapt to the natural environment. Therefore, soft robots will have extremely strong adaptability in some special conditions. As a type of robot made of flexible materials, the changeable pose structure of soft robots is especially suitable for the large application environment of the ocean. Soft robots working underwater can better mimic the movement characteristics of marine life in the hope of achieving more complex underwater tasks. The main focus of this paper is to classify different types of underwater organisms according to their common motion modes, focusing on the achievements of some bionic mechanisms in different functional fields that have imitated various motion modes underwater in recent years (e.g., the underwater sucking glove, the underwater Gripper, and the self-powered soft robot). The development of various task types (e.g., grasping, adhesive, driving or swimming, and sensing functions) and mechanism realization forms of the underwater soft robot are described based on this article.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yeming Zhang
- School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, China
| | - Demin Kong
- School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, China
| | - Yan Shi
- School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Maolin Cai
- School of Automation Science and Electrical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Qihui Yu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, China
| | - Shuping Li
- School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, China
| | - Kai Wang
- School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, China
| | - Chuangchuang Liu
- School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Scott E, Hauert S. A simple macro-scale artificial lateral line sensor for the detection of shed vortices. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2022; 17:055005. [PMID: 35896093 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ac84b7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Underwater robot sensing is challenging due to the complex and noisy nature of the environment. The lateral line system in fish allows them to robustly sense their surroundings, even in turbid and turbulent environments, allowing them to perform tasks such as shoaling or foraging. Taking inspiration from the lateral line system in fish to design robot sensors could help to power underwater robots in inspection, exploration, or environmental monitoring tasks. Previous studies have designed systems that mimic both the design and the configuration of the lateral line and neuromasts, but at high cost or using complex procedures. Here, we present a simple, low cost, bio-inspired sensor, that can detect passing vortices shed from surrounding obstacles or upstream fish or robots. We demonstrate the importance of the design elements used, and show a minimum 20% reduction in residual error over sensors lacking these elements. Results were validated in reality using a prototype of the artificial lateral line sensor. These results mark an important step in providing alternate methods of control in underwater vehicles that are simultaneously inexpensive and simple to manufacture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elliott Scott
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, BS8 1TW, United Kingdom
| | - Sabine Hauert
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, BS8 1TW, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Natta L, Guido F, Algieri L, Mastronardi VM, Rizzi F, Scarpa E, Qualtieri A, Todaro MT, Sallustio V, De Vittorio M. Conformable AlN Piezoelectric Sensors as a Non-invasive Approach for Swallowing Disorder Assessment. ACS Sens 2021; 6:1761-1769. [PMID: 34010558 PMCID: PMC8294609 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.0c02339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Deglutition disorders (dysphagia) are common symptoms of a large number of diseases and can lead to severe deterioration of the patient's quality of life. The clinical evaluation of this problem involves an invasive screening, whose results are subjective and do not provide a precise and quantitative assessment. To overcome these issues, alternative possibilities based on wearable technologies have been proposed. We explore the use of ultrathin, compliant, and flexible piezoelectric patches that are able to convert the laryngeal movement into a well-defined electrical signal, with extremely low anatomical obstruction and high strain resolution. The sensor is based on an aluminum nitride thin film, grown on a soft Kapton substrate, integrated with an electrical charge amplifier and low-power, wireless connection to a smartphone. An ad-hoc designed laryngeal motion simulator (LMS), which is able to mimic the motions of the laryngeal prominence, was used to evaluate its performances. The physiological deglutition waveforms were then extrapolated on a healthy volunteer and compared with the sEMG (surface electromyography) of the submental muscles. Finally, different tests were conducted to assess the ability of the sensor to provide clinically relevant information. The reliability of these features permits an unbiased evaluation of the swallowing ability, paving the way to the creation of a system that is able to provide a point-of-care automatic, unobtrusive, and real-time extrapolation of the patient's swallowing quality even during normal behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lara Natta
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
| | - Francesco Guido
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
- Piezoskin S.r.l., Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Luciana Algieri
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
- Piezoskin S.r.l., Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Vincenzo M. Mastronardi
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
| | - Francesco Rizzi
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
| | - Elisa Scarpa
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
| | - Antonio Qualtieri
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
| | - Maria T. Todaro
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, c/o Campus Ecotekne, Istituto di Nanotecnologia Via Monteroni, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Sallustio
- Hospital Unit Phoniatrics and Communication Disorders, Rehabilitation Department, ASL Lecce, Lecce 73100, Italy
| | - Massimo De Vittorio
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano 73010, Italy
- Università del Salento, Lecce 73100, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu G, Hao H, Yang T, Liu S, Wang M, Incecik A, Li Z. Flow Field Perception of a Moving Carrier Based on an Artificial Lateral Line System. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20051512. [PMID: 32182939 PMCID: PMC7085528 DOI: 10.3390/s20051512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
At present, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) cannot perceive local environments in complex marine environments, where fish can obtain hydrodynamic information about the surrounding environment through a lateral line. Inspired by this biological function, an artificial lateral line system (ALLS) was built on a moving bionic carrier using the pressure sensor in this paper. When the carrier operated with different speeds in the flow field, the pressure distribution characteristics surrounding the carrier were analyzed by numerical simulation, where the effect of the flow angle between the fluid velocity direction and the carrier navigation direction was considered. The flume experiment was carried out in accordance with the simulation conditions, and the analysis results of the experiment were consistent with those in the simulation. The relationship between pressure and fluid velocity was established by a fitting method. Subsequently, the pressure difference method was investigated to establish a relationship model between the pressure difference on both sides of the carrier and the flow angle. Finally, a back propagation neural network model was used to predict the fluid velocity, flow angle, and carrier speed successfully in the unknown fluid environment. The local fluid environment perception by moving carrier carrying ALLS was studied which may promote the engineering application of the artificial lateral line in the local perception, positioning, and navigation on AUVs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guijie Liu
- Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering & Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering of Shang Dong Province, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (H.H.); (T.Y.); (S.L.); (M.W.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-532-6678-1021
| | - Huanhuan Hao
- Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering & Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering of Shang Dong Province, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (H.H.); (T.Y.); (S.L.); (M.W.)
| | - Tingting Yang
- Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering & Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering of Shang Dong Province, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (H.H.); (T.Y.); (S.L.); (M.W.)
| | - Shuikuan Liu
- Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering & Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering of Shang Dong Province, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (H.H.); (T.Y.); (S.L.); (M.W.)
| | - Mengmeng Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering & Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering of Shang Dong Province, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; (H.H.); (T.Y.); (S.L.); (M.W.)
| | - Atilla Incecik
- Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK;
| | - Zhixiong Li
- School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia;
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sharif MA, Tan X. A pressure difference sensor inspired by fish canal lateral line. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2019; 14:055003. [PMID: 31282390 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ab2fa8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
It is of interest to exploit the insight from the lateral line system of fish for flow sensing applications. In this paper, a novel fish canal lateral line-inspired pressure difference sensor is proposed by embedding an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) sensor within a canal filled with viscous fluid. Such a sensor could be used by underwater robots and vehicles for object detection, angle of attack measurement, and source localization. Unlike the biological counterpart that has open ends on the surface of the body, the proposed sensor has two pores covered with a latex membrane, which prevents the canal fluid from mixing with the ambient fluid. The design and fabrication of the sensor are presented, where the sensor is integrated with a fish-like body. The sensor output is experimentally characterized as the fish-like body is rotated with respect to a dipole source, which confirms that the sensor is capable of capturing the pressure difference between the two pores. Finite element modeling and simulation that capture fluid-structure interactions and IPMC physics are conducted to shed light on the sensor behavior. Finally, the utility of the sensor in underwater robotics is illustrated via orienting the fish-like body towards the dipole source using feedback from the proposed sensor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Montassar Aidi Sharif
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States of America. Department of Computer Engineering, Technical College-Kirkuk, Northern Technical University (NTU), Kirkuk, Iraq
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abels C, Qualtieri A, Lober T, Mariotti A, Chambers LD, De Vittorio M, Megill WM, Rizzi F. Bidirectional biomimetic flow sensing with antiparallel and curved artificial hair sensors. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 10:32-46. [PMID: 30680277 PMCID: PMC6334809 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.10.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Background: Flow stimuli in the natural world are varied and contain a wide variety of directional information. Nature has developed morphological polarity and bidirectional arrangements for flow sensing to filter the incoming stimuli. Inspired by the neuromasts found in the lateral line of fish, we present a novel flow sensor design based on two curved cantilevers with bending orientation antiparallel to each other. Antiparallel cantilever pairs were designed, fabricated and compared to a single cantilever based hair sensor in terms of sensitivity to temperature changes and their response to changes in relative air flow direction. Results: In bidirectional air flow, antiparallel cantilever pairs exhibit an axially symmetrical sensitivity between 40 μV/(m s-1) for the lower air flow velocity range (between ±10-20 m s-1) and 80 μV/(m s-1) for a higher air flow velocity range (between ±20-32 m s-1). The antiparallel cantilever design improves directional sensitivity and provides a sinusoidal response to flow angle. In forward flow, the single sensor reaches its saturation limitation, flattening at 67% of the ideal sinusoidal curve which is earlier than the antiparallel cantilevers at 75%. The antiparallel artificial hair sensor better compensates for temperature changes than the single sensor. Conclusion: This work demonstrated the successive improvement of the bidirectional sensitivity, that is, improved temperature compensation, decreased noise generation and symmetrical response behaviour. In the antiparallel configuration, one of the two cantilevers always extends out into the free stream flow, remaining sensitive to directional flow and preserving a sensitivity to further flow stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Abels
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve, D-47533, Germany
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Innovazione, Lecce (LE), I-73100, Italy
| | - Antonio Qualtieri
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
| | - Toni Lober
- Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bocholt, D-46397, Germany
| | - Alessandro Mariotti
- Università di Pisa, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale, Pisa, I-56122, Italy
| | - Lily D Chambers
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve, D-47533, Germany
| | - Massimo De Vittorio
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Innovazione, Lecce (LE), I-73100, Italy
| | - William M Megill
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve, D-47533, Germany
| | - Francesco Rizzi
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Arnesano (LE), I-73010, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Astreinidi Blandin A, Bernardeschi I, Beccai L. Biomechanics in Soft Mechanical Sensing: From Natural Case Studies to the Artificial World. Biomimetics (Basel) 2018; 3:E32. [PMID: 31105254 PMCID: PMC6352697 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics3040032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Living beings use mechanical interaction with the environment to gather essential cues for implementing necessary movements and actions. This process is mediated by biomechanics, primarily of the sensory structures, meaning that, at first, mechanical stimuli are morphologically computed. In the present paper, we select and review cases of specialized sensory organs for mechanical sensing-from both the animal and plant kingdoms-that distribute their intelligence in both structure and materials. A focus is set on biomechanical aspects, such as morphology and material characteristics of the selected sensory organs, and on how their sensing function is affected by them in natural environments. In this route, examples of artificial sensors that implement these principles are provided, and/or ways in which they can be translated artificially are suggested. Following a biomimetic approach, our aim is to make a step towards creating a toolbox with general tailoring principles, based on mechanical aspects tuned repeatedly in nature, such as orientation, shape, distribution, materials, and micromechanics. These should be used for a future methodical design of novel soft sensing systems for soft robotics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Afroditi Astreinidi Blandin
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, 56025 Pisa, Italy.
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, 56025 Pisa, Italy.
| | - Irene Bernardeschi
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, 56025 Pisa, Italy.
| | - Lucia Beccai
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, 56025 Pisa, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cupula-Inspired Hyaluronic Acid-Based Hydrogel Encapsulation to Form Biomimetic MEMS Flow Sensors. SENSORS 2017; 17:s17081728. [PMID: 28788059 PMCID: PMC5580308 DOI: 10.3390/s17081728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Blind cavefishes are known to detect objects through hydrodynamic vision enabled by arrays of biological flow sensors called neuromasts. This work demonstrates the development of a MEMS artificial neuromast sensor that features a 3D polymer hair cell that extends into the ambient flow. The hair cell is monolithically fabricated at the center of a 2 μm thick silicon membrane that is photo-patterned with a full-bridge bias circuit. Ambient flow variations exert a drag force on the hair cell, which causes a displacement of the sensing membrane. This in turn leads to the resistance imbalance in the bridge circuit generating a voltage output. Inspired by the biological neuromast, a biomimetic synthetic hydrogel cupula is incorporated on the hair cell. The morphology, swelling behavior, porosity and mechanical properties of the hyaluronic acid hydrogel are characterized through rheology and nanoindentation techniques. The sensitivity enhancement in the sensor output due to the material and mechanical contributions of the micro-porous hydrogel cupula is investigated through experiments.
Collapse
|
9
|
Abels C, Mastronardi VM, Guido F, Dattoma T, Qualtieri A, Megill WM, De Vittorio M, Rizzi F. Nitride-Based Materials for Flexible MEMS Tactile and Flow Sensors in Robotics. SENSORS 2017; 17:s17051080. [PMID: 28489040 PMCID: PMC5470470 DOI: 10.3390/s17051080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The response to different force load ranges and actuation at low energies is of considerable interest for applications of compliant and flexible devices undergoing large deformations. We present a review of technological platforms based on nitride materials (aluminum nitride and silicon nitride) for the microfabrication of a class of flexible micro-electro-mechanical systems. The approach exploits the material stress differences among the constituent layers of nitride-based (AlN/Mo, Si x N y /Si and AlN/polyimide) mechanical elements in order to create microstructures, such as upwardly-bent cantilever beams and bowed circular membranes. Piezoresistive properties of nichrome strain gauges and direct piezoelectric properties of aluminum nitride can be exploited for mechanical strain/stress detection. Applications in flow and tactile sensing for robotics are described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Abels
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Arnesano (LE) 73010, Italy.
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Innovazione, Lecce 73100, Italy.
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve 47533, Germany.
| | - Vincenzo Mariano Mastronardi
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Arnesano (LE) 73010, Italy.
| | - Francesco Guido
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Arnesano (LE) 73010, Italy.
| | - Tommaso Dattoma
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Arnesano (LE) 73010, Italy.
| | - Antonio Qualtieri
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Arnesano (LE) 73010, Italy.
| | - William M Megill
- Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Bionics, Kleve 47533, Germany.
| | - Massimo De Vittorio
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Arnesano (LE) 73010, Italy.
- Università del Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Innovazione, Lecce 73100, Italy.
| | - Francesco Rizzi
- Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies @UNILE, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Arnesano (LE) 73010, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|